Dear Members, Friends, and Colleagues,

Yesterday I attended two meetings where state support for museums in New York was discussed. The first was a strategic planning workshop for the New York State Council on the Arts and the second was the Cultural Education Committee meeting of NYSED’s Board of Regents.

NYSCA plays an essential role in funding our state’s museums and cultural organizations. The Strategic Planning Workshop included an overview of recent programs and funding in each of NY’s 62 counties. In FY18, $41 million was awarded for program support and $20 million for capital projects; 60% of the program support funds went to organizations with budget sizes under $1 million. 

In the museum program, applications from museums with budget sizes under $1 million were reviewed separately from museums with larger budget sizes. We know this shift in policy has made a difference. Since the 2018 funding was announced, several MANY members who had not previously received NYSCA grants were awarded general operating support, often the most difficult funds to secure.

I was pleased to sit at a table with the staff of three Capital Region museums, Yolanda Bostic, Principle Policy Analyst for the Assembly Tourism, Parks, Arts, and Sports Development Committee, and Elissa Kane, Community Liaison for Assembly Member Patricia Fahy, who reminded us that it is everyone’s responsibility to speak up in support of NYSCA funding. NYSCA will be hosting nine more strategic planning workshops across the state before the end of the year. Lord Cultural Resources is working with NSYCA to engage stakeholders, conduct research, and identify issues and opportunities. We encourage all museum professionals in our state to attend these workshops and support NYSCA’s strategic planning process.

The dates, times, and locations of these Regional Constituent Workshops will be announced soon. Details will be posted on NYSCA’s website.

I ended the day at the Cultural Education Committee meeting of NYSED’s Board of Regents. The meeting ended with the Commissioner’s Office reiterating budget priorities which included funding for the Museum Education Act. We will soon share advocacy tools you can use to include your voice in support of the MEA as we await the governor’s signature.

Thank you for your support of NYSCA and the MEA.

Sincerely, 

Erika Sanger
Executive Director